Even the most experienced travellers don’t know everything and are capable of forgetting things. So we’ve comprised a handy list of travel hacks. Travelling is something that brings a great amount of joy to many people. Whether you’re a regular holiday goer or someone who cherishes that once a year trip, you always want to get the best deals and have the smoothest experience possible. These hacks that will save you time, effort, money and stress! Take a look and you might just learn something for the next time you travel away!
When travelling internationally, people often forget that other countries might have a different style of plug socket which means you’ll need an adapter for your electrical goods. This small but important item is easily left behind or not even thought of which results in people shelling out their spending money for over priced ones when they arrive at their destination. Get ahead of the game and you can find adapters online for super cheap!
Sometimes depending on what kind of holiday you are on, your clothes and shoes might end up getting dirty and smelly. This isn’t pleasant at all but there is something that can help! Chucking a dryer sheet in to a bag with your clothes will help with the bad smell and provide some freshness. They also help reduce static build up, so they’re worth putting in your case before you travel as well!
Lots of people over do it when it comes to toiletries. For some people, a bottle of shampoo will last months, so is there really any need to bring the whole thing with you on your trip? The same goes for face creams and oils. Why not downsize some of these items into smaller containers so you free up more space in your suitcase? You can buy travel size bottles for next to nothing. Contact lens cases are also great for holding small amounts of your toiletries!
Many people have heard that when browsing for holidays they should do so in private (incognito) mode as sites track what you are looking for and hike up the prices! What you may not have heard, however, is that they also try to charge you more if they see you are trying to return to a place you’ve already visited before! Travel companies presume you are set on where you want to go and will pay whatever to make it happen. The cheek of them!
So many people neglect to utilize their available suitcase space due to poor packing technique. We get it, loading up your case isn’t the most exciting task in the world. But, if done correctly, you can take more stuff with you! Or, at least you’ll know how to free up some space for the journey back if you are bringing back gifts etc. Check out the video below for an awesome way to pack your clothes!
You may have heard before that it is cheaper to fly on certain days. But, there is also a cheapest time to buy your tickets! 6 weeks before you intend to travel is apparently the best time to purchase. Bear in mind that if you’ve got more than one airport near you, it’s sometimes worth travelling to the one that is furthest away, if it offers you a much cheaper flight. It seems like common sense, but so many people just think of using the airport closest to them!
Everyone has that fear of losing their passport or important documents when they travel. Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t matter how careful you are, things can still go wrong. We recommend scanning copies of anything important and making sure that you have copies available on your phone/laptop/tablet. These may not be as good as the hard copies but they will help plead your case to others.
Some people take numerous gadgets along with them when they travel, particularly people who are on business trips. Remembering to pack each gadget’s individual charger can be both annoying and stressful. Not to mention they end up taking up a lot of space! The simple solution to this is to invest in a universal charger. Small, neat and multi functional… we love these things!
If for whatever reason you don’t have a wall plug available (maybe you forgot or lost your adapter), don’t immediately panic. There could be a solution and it involves checking out your room’s TV. The more modern televisions will often have USB ports that you can use to charge your devices! This is a really helpful bit of knowledge to remember!
It’s natural when you go away to occasionally want to check up on people back home. Plenty of places will offer free Wifi, on the condition that you purchase something. If you don’t have any money on you or simply don’t want to buy anything, you can check out ‘FourSquare’ and ‘Yelp’ to see if other people have noted down the passwords for you. This is a great tip for those who are travelling for business purposes also.
Most of us will convert our money before we go away to avoid interest and charges whilst abroad. However, depending on how long you’re going away for and how much money you’ll need, some people simply don’t feel comfortable carrying around large amounts of cash. To ensure you only ever take out what you need, download a currency converting app. This helps you to decide how much to withdraw if you need extra cash, and assists you in figuring out how much to take with you when you go out for dinners etc.
Going through airport security can be a right load of hassle. To make things worse, it’s always when you’re running late that airports seem to be super busy! When looking at queues, it’s easy to think you should go for the shortest one. But, what you really want to be looking for are the people that are getting scanned through quickly (frequent travelers).
If you’re expecting some wet weather and you’re going to be doing a lot of walking on your holiday but you realize that you haven’t bought the correct footwear, worry can set in. But, all is not lost if you can find a health food store in your area! There you should be able to find some beeswax which can be applied to shoes to create an excellent waterproof exterior!
Google maps is an incredibly useful tool for so many of us. However, when you’re not connected to WiFi you can feel conscious of using too much of your data. But, you may not have known that there’s a cool little trick you can do on the app! Just zoom in on a location and then type in ‘OK maps’ and the area will be saved for you to look at later. Pretty neat!
Small items such as headphones, USB sticks and phone charges can easily get tangled, or even lost, on your travels. To make sure you know where they all are, you could choose to put them inside a glasses case. They are the perfect size for holding such items and the case’s exterior is relatively durable so will do a great job at protecting your possessions.
Bringing your baby on holiday with you can be a wonderful experience. However, the traveling part comes with plenty of stresses. One thing that could make your life a lot easier is one of these baby hammocks, designed specifically for flying on planes. It helps your baby to be comfortable and means that you don’t have to give yourself arm ache for the entire duration of your flight.
Many people opt to use airport parking to save on taxi fares. However, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of going away and almost run from the car once you are parked. So, it’s not uncommon for people to arrive back home and not have a clue where they left their car! An easy way around this is to snap a picture of your car parking bay or level. Confusion is the last thing you want to face when you’re already feeling down about your holiday being over!
There’s always that fear when bringing liquids in your case that something will go wrong and your things will be ruined. A good way to combat this is to unscrew all of your lids then place a bit of plastic wrap over the openings of your bottles and containers. Following this, screw the lids back on tightly. Finally, keep all liquids together and seal them off in a bag or two, just in case all else fails!
No one likes packing dirty shoes! If you haven’t got any plastic bags to hand nip in to your hotel room’s bathroom and grab a shower cap. Place it over the bottom of your shoes and you’ve got instant protection for your other belongings. If the top of your shoes are also dirty, simply double up with another cap. No mess, no fuss!
If you’ve got a fairly standard suitcase, waiting for it to arrive in baggage check can be annoying. Several times you’ll think you see your case, only for it to be someone else’s. The simplest way around this is to give your bag a distinguishable feature. If you’re going to opt for a ribbon, bear in mind the other people will have this idea so use two or more contrasting colors.
When packing clothes it’s an unfortunate but often inevitable thing that certain items will get creased and wrinkled. However, there is something that can help… tissue paper! Once your item is folded neatly, put tissue paper below and above it. Also, where possible, keep these wrapped items towards the top of your suitcase so they don’t get crushed by other garments.
Everyone knows that you aren’t allowed to bring liquids through airport security. This is for good reason, however, what is not good is how much they expect you to fork out on drinks once you’re through! Instead of paying extortionate prices, bring an empty bottle or tumbler through with you and fill it up on the other side. If you can’t find a water fountain any cafe should provide you with water.
Many airlines will require you to book seats ahead of your flight. Statistically, people are most likely to select window or aisle seats. If you’re traveling in a pair, you’ve got a good change of bagging a whole aisle to yourself if you select the window and aisle seat. However, there is a level of risk with this one! You never know how desperate someone is to get on a flight…
Although many things come with a charger these days, batteries are always super handy to have. Unfortunately, however, if you’re visiting somewhere hot, you might find your batteries drain a lot quicker than normal. But, there is a quick and easy, albeit strange, solution! Popping your batteries in the fridge can help them retain their charge. It is said that nickel-metal hydride batteries will hold 90% of their charge when kept in the cold whilst alkaline ones will last 5% longer.
If you’re looking for a way to check out new places and meet new people, getting involved in your local pub crawl is the perfect solution! Taking part is the quickest way to find out which places you like and which places you don’t whilst making some new friends along the way. Sometimes you pay a small fee which entitles you to a certain amount of free drinks which is awesome.
You don’t have to be staying in a hostel to visit one! They are often filled with social travelers who are keen to have a good time. Hostels are also brilliant places for seeking information. The staff can tell you all of the best places to go and the ones which you should avoid. They can usually hook you up with good deals for trips too.
Now, we understand that sometimes people have no choice but to use their phones. However, by not taking out your phone with you and being seen using it, you greatly reduce your risk of having it stolen! Although a smartphone is handy, there are ways around needing one. You can always use a map for directions and make sure you bring change for pay phones. You’ll probably feel much better for disconnecting as well.
Annoyingly, it’s not uncommon for flights to be overbooked. If you’re approached to see if you’d be happy to move flights, it may seem frustrating at first. However, if you’re not in a rush to get to your destination and could be delayed by a few hours or a day, the compensation may be worth offering to switch flights. People who do this are often rewarded with travel vouchers, free food and drink, and even accommodation depending on the length of the delay!
If you’re going to a place that has palm trees and coconuts, you need to get stuck in! Coconut water is fantastic for re-hydration and is a lot cheaper than a sports drink! You can often find people selling them on the streets or you could go old school and fetch your own from a beach. Be careful when cutting them open though, it’s not as easy as you might think!
If you’re a frequent traveler, a travel credit card could hugely benefit you. You can often earn great bonuses including free flights, hotel stays, various upgrades and even just plain old cash back. If you’re someone who uses a credit card anyway when traveling, you may as well select a specific travel card that is full of perks!
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book, but, it really can bring results. Depending on how you feel about a little dishonesty, pretending you are on your honeymoon can earn you a whole host of awesome things. Generally, you’re looking at a seat upgrade on your flight, and for some lucky people their hotels will even give them a room upgrade! At the end of the day you’re not forcing anyone to give you anything so if they offer it’s a win if they don’t, nothing is lost.
If you’re looking to earn some extra money on your travels, there are numerous ways! One is being a paid driver. There are companies and just individual people who will want a vehicle taken from one destination to another. If you hunt around, you could look for the end destinations to be places you want to go, then you’ve pretty much traveled for free! You can earn even more from carrying passengers, though you’ll have to check the laws and regulations.
Now, we haven’t yet tried this one out so we can’t vouch for if it’s 100% true or not but apparently there is a way to ‘hack’ your elevator to go straight to the floor you have selected, bypassing any other floors that have been chosen by other people. Many elevators will require a key for the override, but some lifts will allow this if you hold the ‘door close’ button and your floor number at the same time.
Unfortunately, there is always a chance you could fall victim to a mugging. It can be extremely scary if something like this happens to you. One thing we would recommend is carrying around a dummy wallet. Put a small amount of cash and some unimportant or expired cards in it. If confronted to hand over your wallet, hand over the dummy one and flee as quickly as possible.
Some people don’t like being on the ground floor out of fear of people coming in through the windows. A good compromise around this is booking a room on the second floor. It’s harder for someone to break in to and should you need to jump from your window or balcony for any reason, you aren’t too high off of the ground.
If you’re traveling rather than holidaying, you could opt to work in return for your accommodation. Some hostels will allow you to stay for free in return for things like cleaning out the toilets and picking up trash around the site. Alternatively, bar work is a great way to earn extra money and there’s not often a shortage of jobs being advertised.
One way to ensure your bags are treated with more care is to tell the check in clerk that your bag has fragile items in it. Your bag will then get a sticker put on it and will be most likely to be put at the top of the pile when loading on to the plane. This means your bag should be one of the first ones to come back out again once you arrive at the next airport.
If you’re someone with a large social media following. You could consider reaching out to certain companies. In return for advertising and reviews, you’ll often be given all sorts of free things, including holiday stays. You can then snowball this further contacting other companies explaining you are going on holiday and would like to sample some products in exchange for reviews and photos. Clothes companies are a great place to start.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get! Don’t be afraid to request free samples. Food places are usually happy to oblige and you can end up bagging yourself all sorts of things! This is particularly helpful when buying gifts for others because you want to make sure that what you are getting is nice. You can do this for most things ranging from chocolates all the way to wines.
When you’re in an area you’re not particularly familiar with, the last thing you want is to run out of battery and not be able to look up directions or contact anyone. If you notice your battery is dying, put your phone on airplane mode when you aren’t using it. This will help conserve your remaining juice. Another bonus tip is that airplane mode helps your phone to charge faster!
